The major reference on the geology, hydrology and geothermal activity at Steamboat are the U.S.G.S. Professional Survey Papers by [White 1968] and [White, Thompson & Sandberg 1964]. In addition, [White 1967] contains a description of Geyser 23n during the 1940s. The only later descriptions of individual springs are those in [Nehring 1980]. No geyser activity was observed, but Appendix 1 gives a description of each numbered spring during the dry summer of 1977.
Most popular works have described Steamboat Springs as an area that was destroyed by geothermal development. Until 1987, this was not the case. It seems that very few people have actually visited the area, but instead seem to have quoted this information from “the Final EIS on the Island Park Geothermal Area (pp. 111-112)…15 January 1980.” [Schneider 1982] This report seems to be the ultimate source for many of these erroneous reports.
It is also interesting to note that some of these springs showed a response to the San Francisco earthquake of 1906. A section of the Carnegie Institute report on the earthquake discusses the minor geological effects on such features as hot springs. The last entry is about Steamboat Springs, and states that “for about 3 days after the earthquake, the volume was considerably increased, and the water became noticeably turbid with mud.”[Lawson 1908]